Innocence Lost
by Niamh Tairneanach
Summary: AU: Harry is nearly killed by the Dursleys when Arabella Figg steps in. Dumbledore takes drastic measures to save young Harry's life. He spends the next four years with Snape. What are his Hogwarts years like now?
1. Prologue

Innocence Lost  
  
Prologue  
  
Darkness surrounded him. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't; the light was too bright, it hurt.  
  
Voices. He could hear someone talking in the background. It still hurt to open his eyes though, so he didn't try.  
  
"Albus! Come quickly! Bring that medi-witch of yours!"  
  
The voice was familiar somehow. But who did it belong to...? He didn't know. And suddenly, he didn't care. The darkness claimed him, and he fell into blissful unconsciousness.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_  
  
Arabella Figg was frantic as she walked into her living room only to see Harry Potter's breathing slow and his body go limp. She rushed to his side and saw that he was only unconscious. She breathed a sigh of relief as she held on to his hand. She held on as if she could keep his life force into his body all on her own.  
  
Before not too many more minutes passed, Albus Dumbledore entered the living room, Poppy Pomfrey behind him. Poppy gasped upon seeing the small form on the couch and she rushed to Harry's side. As she came, Arabella stood up and away in order to give the other witch more room to work. She stepped over to Albus' side.  
  
Albus Dumbledore, possibly the greatest living wizard, looked grave as Arabella turned to him. "What happened?" he asked her softly.  
  
Arabella explained quickly but thoroughly, it was a habit she had picked up during the last war against Voldemort. "I haven't seen him outside in about a month. I was worried so I went over. I tried to tell Petunia that I needed his help for some chores, but she wouldn't let him out. I pulled out my wand and forced my way in. I found him, Albus, in a cupboard under their staircase!"  
  
"Thank you, Arabella," Albus sighed, "I fear Minerva was correct, I should not have left him with that family."  
  
Before Arabella could respond to that, Poppy hurried over. "Albus," she said softly and sadly, "there is nothing I can do. In addition to the serious injuries,, he is severely malnourished. It is simply too much for his body to handle. He won't live through the night."  
  
Albus nodded, "Thank you, Poppy. I know you did your best, but we are not through, yet." He walked to Arabella's kitchen, to the lit fire. After a brief conversation with whoever was on the other end, he returned with a wizard in tow.  
  
The wizard following Albus had black hair, black clothes, and black eyes. His skin was pale, and his hair was lank. He wore a scowl like Albus wore a smile. He looked upset about something, though neither Poppy nor Arabella knew about what.  
  
"Severus?" Poppy questioned then turned to Albus, "What can he do?"  
  
Albus spoke decidedly, "He can save Harry's life."  
  
At those words, Severus Snape turned to Albus and his scowl deepened. "It is not a wise idea, Albus. He is too young!"  
  
"He will die if you do not, Severus! I will deal with the repercussions. Just do it!" Albus in a tone that harbored no further argument.  
  
Severus sighed sadly, but he nodded and said, "Very well then. Everyone leave the room, this is not something to be done with all manner of people watching. Yes, Albus, you too. He will be fine, eventually."  
  
Albus nodded and shooed the two witches out of the room. Then Severus turned to the young boy on the bed. Again he sighed sadly as he moved Harry's head so that his neck was bared. Gently he lowered his own head and, breathing an apology to the young boy whose life would never be the same again, he bit down and drank the boy's blood until almost none was left. Then he took out a small dagger and made a slit in the vein by his wrist. He held it up to the boy's lips and instinctively, the boy began to drink once the first few drops of blood had fallen into his mouth. After a few minutes, Severus lifted his wrist from the boy's mouth. He sighed tiredly and laid his head next to the boy's and fell asleep.  
  
That was how Albus found them when he stuck his head into the room after some thirty minutes had passed and no sounds came from the living room. He smiled sadly as he saw the two on the couch. Then he walked over to Severus and positioned him so that he was more comfortable, then he left the room.  
  
He came face to face with two very worried witches once he walked back into the kitchen. "What happened, Albus? Why could Severus save Harry's life?" demanded Arabella.  
  
Poppy had a thoughtful look on her face. Then it cleared and she looked shocked at Albus. "You really had him do it? But Harry, he's so young..." her voice trailed off.  
  
Albus nodded, "I did Poppy. Harry now has a chance to survive."  
  
"But with his injuries, and the fact that he's so young and so severely malnourished... his body may not take well to the transformation," the medi- witch cautioned.  
  
"He'll survive," said Albus firmly.  
  
"Will someone tell me what just happened?" cut in a frustrated Arabella, "What did he do to young Harry?"  
  
Albus nodded at Poppy and she replied, "Arabella, Severus is a vampire." 


	2. Returning to Hogwarts

"Will someone tell me what just happened?" cut in a frustrated Arabella, "What did he do to young Harry?"  
  
Albus nodded at Poppy and she replied, "Arabella, Severus is a vampire."  
  
Chapter One: Back to Hogwarts  
  
"WHAT?!" she screeched a moment after the words had fully sunk in.  
  
Albus sighed again, "Arabella, if he did not turn Harry, Harry would not have lived through the night, you heard what Poppy said."  
  
"Albus, you have ruined Harry's life!" she protested.  
  
"He'll adapt, I'm quite certain of it," he replied firmly. Arabella simply glared at him. Albus decided not to reply anymore and he turned to Poppy, "Poppy, can you please go check on them? I know the turning will have been very trying for Severus, and I know it wasn't easy on Harry."  
  
Poppy nodded and hurried off to go check on the two vampires. Arabella simply continued to glare at Albus. Albus simply waited for Poppy to return.  
  
After several minutes had passed, Poppy did indeed return to make her report to the Headmaster. "Severus is fine, he's simply exhausted. The act of turning is very draining for him because he does not drink human's blood regularly. Harry, on the other hand, has fallen into a coma. His body has been through a great deal in the past few days and being turned is already very traumatizing to begin with. When a healthy human is turned, normally they are unconscious for about a day; I fear our Harry will be unconscious for a good deal of time longer than that," she finished with a worried, but hopeful expression.  
  
"Do you think he will wake up?" asked Arabella carefully.  
  
Poppy nodded, "Oh yes," she said, "hopefully he will be awake in a week or so. Sooner if he has a strong constitution. I would like to bring him to Hogwarts though, where I can keep an eye on him. Severus will also have to feed him regularly until he awakes."  
  
Albus nodded looking very relieved. "Thank you, Poppy. When Severus awakes, we'll bring him over," he replied.  
  
Poppy nodded. "In that case, I will return to Hogwarts to prepare for Harry's arrival," she said.  
  
"Good, good. Do what you need to do, Poppy," replied Albus.  
  
Two hours later, Severus woke up. He looked around and immediately remembered where he was, but more importantly, he remembered why he was there. He looked over at his young charge. The boy who had probably just become the youngest vampire in history. He sighed and shook his head when he saw that Harry was unconscious... He'd told Albus it was a bad idea!  
  
Just then, Albus walked into the bedroom. He smiled upon seeing that Severus was awake. "Ah, Severus! You're awake, good, good. Poppy is ready and waiting for us. She would like to keep our young Mr Potter in the Infirmary until he awakes," he said, too cheerfully in Severus' opinion.  
  
Severus scowled at the headmaster, but he let it go for now. Later, after they had left Harry with Poppy, then he would speak to Albus, but for now it was better just to let it all go. He sighed and nodded, "All right then Albus, let's go." He stood up slowly and gently picked up Harry. Then he and Albus walked to the kitchen.  
  
"Severus, apparate with the boy. I don't think it wise to take him through the Floo at the moment," said Albus.  
  
"Yes, Albus." Albus left then through the Floo network, and Severus apparated to the edge of Hogwarts grounds. He then carried Harry carefully to the Infirmary where Poppy had a bed prepared for him.  
  
"Thank you, Severus," she said as she got Harry settled down, "Now, until Harry wakes up, you will need to feed Harry at least once a day. I will be checking him to see just how often he needs to be fed. I'll let you know when you're needed here." She smiled gently at him then and shooed him out of the Infirmary.  
  
Severus walked over to the Headmaster's office next. It was time to speak with Albus about what had just occurred and what needed to be done for Harry now.  
  
A/N: Yes, I know the first two parts are short. Chapters should be getting longer from here on out, though. Thanks for the reviews! I've never written this sort of story before, so any helpful comments you have to add are appreciated! 


	3. Harry Wakes Up

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I've had several people ask about Harry's age. Sorry, should have thought of putting that in, but it never quite fit. I put it in in this chapter, but it actually would have come up more thoroughly in the next chapter. At any rate, Harry is seven years old. He will spend the next four years before Hogwarts living with Severus. This is definitely a father/son type fic. Someone wondered about Harry's aging process, they will find out how this will work, and I do have something in mind! Just keep reading to find out! (But it's not in this chapter.) ^_^  
  
Chapter Two: Harry Wakes up  
  
Over the next four days, Poppy called Severus in roughly twice a day to feed the young Harry Potter. More often than not, Severus would give Harry his own blood to drink; other times he would bring in animal blood. Then, in the morning of the fifth day, Harry began to stir. Poppy immediately called for Severus and Albus to join her.  
  
Severus stood by Harry's bed as Albus and Poppy waited at the foot. Severus knew that as he was the one who had turned Harry, Harry was now his responsibility to care for. He wasn't exactly happy about it, but the laws set by the Council were clear. And even here, Harry was a special case: at seven years old, he was the youngest human to ever be turned. No one knew what his aging process would be like now, if he would even be ready to start Hogwarts when he turned eleven. Severus knew that he would try his best to make sure that Harry could join his peers, though. So he waited by Harry's side for the young vampire to wake up.  
  
Once Harry truly started to wake up, he came to quickly. He started to sit up, but was forced down by a gently press of a hand against his chest. "No, stay down," said the voice that he thought the hands belonged to.  
  
Harry looked up, he frowned curiously and asked, "Who are you?"  
  
Severus smiled a little at the boy to try and reassure him, "My name is Severus Snape; I am your new guardian."  
  
"Oh," Harry took this in. Then he began to look around, he could tell that he was in a Hospital Wing of some sort, but it certainly didn't look like any Hospital he had ever imagined. "Where am I? Who are you?" he directed the last question at Poppy and Albus.  
  
Albus nodded for Severus to answer, so he did. "He is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of the school you're in; she is Poppy Pomfrey, the... nurse... here at the school," Severus stopped. He knew that since Harry had been raised by muggles, he probably didn't know who he was. Severus decided that perhaps it was best if Albus told the boy where he was.  
  
"Okay," the young vampire answered, "but where am I?"  
  
Again, Albus looked to Severus to explain it to Harry. Severus sighed and started to speak, "You are in the Infirmary of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  
  
Harry gaped for a small moment and then he said, "But there's no such thing as magic."  
  
Severus glared at Albus and said, "Yes, Harry, there is."  
  
"Prove it."  
  
Another sigh and Severus took out his wand. "This is my wand, it allows me to use magic. What would you like me to show you?"  
  
Harry thought for a brief moment, "Can you fix my eyesight?"  
  
Severus looked at Poppy, "Shouldn't the transformation have taken care of that?" he asked her.  
  
She shrugged, "It should have. But, as you've been so fond of reminding me, his age and the state he was in make his transformation a special case. Perhaps because he is so young the transformation hasn't had its full effects, yet."  
  
"Hmm..." said Severus, frowning. Then he looked back at Harry, "We'd best wait for that. We don't know what could happen if I try to do that."  
  
Harry frowned at the news, but he nodded and said, "Well then, can you fix my glasses? Dudley always broke them, you see..." his voice trailed off as he saw the angry looks being exchanged amongst the adults around him. He shrank back into the covers.  
  
Severus noticed and he tried to reassure the boy, "No, Harry, we're not angry with you. It's your relatives we're angry with." Harry nodded and Severus smiled a little at him again. It was rather crooked, as if he'd forgotten how to, but Harry was reassured anyway. Severus said then, "All right, I'll fix your glasses." He pointed his wand straight at the bridge of his glasses and said, "Oculus Reparo."  
  
Instantly, Harry's glasses fixed themselves. In fact, with the added power that Severus had added to the spell, the prescription even changed to match Harry's eyesight. Harry grinned, "Wow! Thanks!"  
  
This time there were smiles from all of the adults. "Well, Harry, now do you believe that there is such a thing as magic?" asked Albus.  
  
Harry nodded vigorously, "Yes, sir! How couldn't I after that?"  
  
Albus smiled at the boy and said, "How not, indeed."  
  
Harry looked thoughtful then for a few moments. The three adults waited, when he spoke, he asked, "What transformation?"  
  
Severus looked slightly nervous as he did his best to explain what had happened. "Harry, when Arabella found you--"  
  
"Arabella?"  
  
"Figg, your babysitter," explained Severus, when Harry nodded he went on, "As I was saying, when Arabella found you and called Poppy and Albus to her- -"  
  
Again, Harry interrupted, "Mrs Figg is a witch, too?"  
  
Severus nodded and said, "Harry, please save your questions until I am through. It'll be easier that way." Harry nodded silently and bit his lip. Severus sighed and went on, "At any rate, when Poppy got to you, there was nothing she could do. You would die, your body was too seriously injured and malnourished to survive much longer. She simply couldn't heal you, you didn't have the strength. So, Albus called me over and asked me to... turn... you."  
  
This time Harry couldn't hold back the question. "Turn me?" he echoed softly.  
  
"Yes, Harry. You're a vampire now," Severus replied in a surprisingly gentle tone.  
  
Harry looked up at his guardian, he had an odd look on his face as he considered this bit of information. "So I have to drink blood now?"  
  
Severus nodded. "Is that all I can have to eat or drink?" came the next hesitant question.  
  
Severus shook his head no and explained, "It is your main source of nourishment. For one as young as you are, I even doubt if it will be enough. Some vampires choose to only exist off of blood; others see eating regular foods as part of living. When you are undead, you try to live in any way you can. You can't have anything that you want to eat, but you can eat most foods. Don't worry about that, Poppy and I will take care of your meals."  
  
Harry's eyes grew wide at that. "Really?" he asked, "I don't have to cook for myself?"  
  
"No, of course not, Harry. The House Elves here at Hogwarts take care of that, and at my home, too," replied Severus.  
  
Harry took that news joyfully, and again angry looks were exchanged amongst the adults, though this time they took care to ensure that Harry didn't see. Severus then turned to Poppy and said, "Can I take him now?"  
  
Poppy nodded and said, "Let me do one last check and then you may leave with him,."  
  
Harry's eyes widened again at that. "Where am I going?" he asked.  
  
Severus answered him, "Remember, Harry? I'm your guardian now, I'll be taking care of you. For now we'll go down to my quarters. Soon I'll be taking you to me home."  
  
Harry nodded and smiled shyly. Then Poppy looked him over. Straightening up, she said, "All clear! He's in fine health considering what he's been through. His healing capabilities are truly showing through. Take care for about a week, right? Severus, give him as much of your blood, or a human's as possible for that week. He needs it. After that, you can get him onto whatever you think best."  
  
Severus nodded to the medi-witch as he helped Harry out of bed. It was his first time standing up since Arabella had retrieved him from the Dursleys, so he was a little dizzy. After a few minutes, the dizziness passed though, and he let go of Severus' hand and took a few steps. It was slow going at first, but he quickly picked up speed. By the time Harry and Severus left the Hospital Wing, Harry was walking at a normal pace.  
  
Severus led Harry down into the dungeons where his quarters were. Severus spoke briefly to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. "Salazar, this is Harry Potter. He will be staying with me from now on." Then he turned to Harry and said, "Harry, this is Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. You need the password to enter our rooms, and I change it weekly. I will always let you know what the new one is, though, so don't worry about ever being stuck outside. Since it is summer, I don't change my password very often, but during the school year I change it weekly. For now, the password is Aconite."  
  
Harry nodded and repeated the password, "Aconite."  
  
Severus smiled and nodded, then he repeated the password to Salazar who responded by letting Severus into his quarters. Once inside, Severus gestured briefly to the various doors. "That one leads to my bedroom; that one to my private laboratory and store room, and this one," he walked over to it and opened it, "leads to your room." He gestured for Harry to come over to him and walked into the bedroom.  
  
"Albus and I prepared it for you while you were in your coma. I hope it's all right," Severus said when there was no reaction from Harry.  
  
Harry, for his part, was looking all around the room. He'd never seen a bed so comfortable looking before! The floor was a dark wood with a circular Slytherin green carpet. The bed was a four-poster with a canopy of a metallic silver color. The bedspread was a dark blue with a black pillow. There was a desk made of the same wood as the bed, it had all sorts of school supplies on it--but unfamiliar ones, quills, parchment, ink wells. There was also a book case that was mostly empty, but it had several books that Severus had selected for Harry to read, some on quidditch, and beginning spell books that first years would use, of course there were the requisite potions books, and some books that had been written recently to introduce muggle-borns to the wizarding world. There was also an enchanted window that showed the Hogwarts grounds that were above the dungeons where Harry's room was.  
  
Harry was truly in awe, he had never seen a room so nice before. He couldn't believe that it was all for him. "Harry?" he heard Severus trying to bring him back to reality. "Harry?" Severus called again.  
  
Harry looked up at him. "Yes?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Are you all right?" Severus asked in a concerned tone.  
  
Harry nodded dumbly. "Yes... Is this all for me?" he questioned hesitantly.  
  
Severus smiled gently. "Yes, it is, Harry. This is your room, everything in it belongs to you." Severus walked over to the nightstand next to the bed and picked up the picture that Albus had placed on it. He waved Harry over and said, "Look at this."  
  
Harry walked over and hesitantly took the picture from Severus' hands. "What's this?" he asked.  
  
Severus' brow furrowed with confusion. "Your parents," he said as if it were obvious.  
  
Harry's eyes widened and tears sprang up. As a tear trailed down his face, Severus asked him, "What's wrong, Harry?"  
  
"No one's ever shown me a picture of my parents before..." he said quietly.  
  
Severus frowned at that bit of news. He knew that Harry didn't know much of the wizarding world, but to never have even seen his parents? His heart went out to the small boy in front of him and he pulled Harry into a hug.  
  
That small gesture of kindness proved to be Harry's undoing. He began to sob, suddenly faced with grieving the parents he had never been given a chance to know. Severus gathered the seven-year old into his arms and sat down on the bed to hold Harry as he cried. His heart broke for the small life in front of him. The boy had already faced so much hardship, and now he would be faced with even more. To be a vampire was difficult enough, to be the boy-who-lived and a vampire... Well, Severus knew that the coming years would be very difficult indeed. 


	4. In Which Harry Learns a Little More

Chapter Three: In Which Harry Learns a Little More of Himself and Severus Remembers  
  
After Harry had cried himself into exhaustion, Severus placed him on the bed and tucked him in. He smiled sadly as he brushed Harry's bangs out of his eyes. Then he stood up and left the room, leaving the door ajar so that he could hear if Harry woke up.  
  
Some hours later, just around dinner time, Harry did wake up. At first he was confused, but then he remembered that he was in his very own bedroom at Hogwarts. He looked around, and when he didn't see anyone, he climbed down out of the bed. Touching down lightly on the floor, he slowly walked out of the room.  
  
Severus looked up from his book when he heard the soft footsteps of the seven-year old who had come to live with him. He smiled at the boy as he came into view. "Hullo, Harry," he said gently, "Sleep well?"  
  
Harry nodded silently as he watched his new guardian pensively. He wasn't exactly sure about this man yet, but somehow he instinctively trusted Severus. He began to approach the potions master.  
  
Severus waited as Harry walked over to him. He wasn't exactly sure as to what to do next, but he decided to simply let things happen and see how they got along. Severus still hadn't quite gotten over the fact that the son of his worst enemy at school was now in his care, and as a vampire no less! Still, he realized that Harry was nothing like James was. His childhood so far had ensured that. When Harry got closer, Severus patted the spot on the couch next to him and said softly, "Would you like to join me?"  
  
Harry hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded and sat down next to Severus. He looked up at his guardian with eyes filled with an odd mixture of trust, apprehension, and wonder. Severus wasn't quite sure what to do with that, so he simply asked, "Are you hungry?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, sir," he said softly, as if he were afraid of what the response would be. After another moment, he added, "It feels differently than it used to."  
  
"What does?" Severus asked curiously.  
  
"The hunger. I don't know how to say it, but it's different," explained Harry in the same soft voice.  
  
"Ah," replied Severus as understanding came to him, "that's because you're a vampire now. It's more like a... need than, well, whatever hunger used to feel like." Severus frowned at his explanation, but the truth was that he couldn't even remember what it was like to feel regular hunger. Not that he was ever good at describing these things anyway. But Harry nodded anyway, he seemed to see what Severus was getting at.  
  
Severus frowned again as he considered what to feed Harry. At this point, his own blood would probably be best. The sire of a vampire usually fed a newly turned vampire his own blood as the main staple of the new one's diet until the new vampire was stronger. Similar, in an odd sort of way, to the way a newborn babe drank his mother's milk. Harry was still at the point where he needed Severus' blood.  
  
Severus nodded as he decided, and he glanced over to see Harry watching him. "This will be very odd for you, as this is the first time that you will be conscious while we do this. However, you do need to get used to this, so..." Severus' voice trailed off as he saw Harry's puzzled look. "You need to feed," he explained, "At this point, you still need to drink my own blood. Why that is, is a rather complicated matter, but I shall try to explain it to you after we are through, is that all right?"  
  
Harry nodded silently again, and Severus had to wonder if Harry was truly alright with the situation, or if he was simply agreeing because he was afraid of what might happen if he said no. Severus sighed inwardly, but he decided to go ahead.  
  
"I'll help you through this, Harry," Severus promised as he took out the knife he had used on himself when Harry had been turned. He showed the knife to Harry. "Look, I will cut myself with this, and then I will give you my wrist to suck on. You needn't be frightened. You won't hurt me, and I won't hurt you," Severus hoped that that would be enough to reassure the boy, but what had to be done, had to be done.  
  
Again, Severus took the knife and made a small cut in the vein above his wrist. It wasn't enough to allow him to bleed away completely, but it was enough that Harry would be able to feed. He looked over at Harry and brought him closer. He held his wrist up for Harry and, after a hesitant look at Severus, Harry brought his mouth down and began to suck.  
  
Severus sighed softly as Harry began to drink. He could barely feel Harry's fangs, which was odd. He assumed that it was a side effect of Harry's young age. Severus knew that he and Poppy would have to soon perform a thorough examination of Harry to determine just how human he still was, since it appeared that his unchanged eyesight was not the only part to remain unchanged after the transformation.  
  
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~  
  
Harry was rather nervous as Severus explained to Harry what he would be having for dinner that night. The fact that he would be drinking someone else's blood was still a very foreign idea for him. Harry watched as Severus pulled out the knife and showed it to him. He put on a brave face as Severus cut himself with it and held up the wrist with the blood beginning to flow out of it to Harry. Soon enough though, Harry's vampiric instincts took over and he latched on to Severus' wrist and began to suck.  
  
It felt odd to drink another's blood, but Harry had to admit that it wasn't entirely unpleasant, either. He decided that he could get used to doing this. Harry wasn't sure how to describe the taste of Severus' blood but he knew it was different from human blood. There had been many a time after one of Vernon's beatings where Harry could taste the blood in his mouth. His blood had been unpleasant to taste, but he found that he rather enjoyed the taste of Severus' blood.  
  
Too soon in Harry's opinion, Severus withdrew his wrist from Harry. "All right, child," he said, "That's enough for now. How do you feel?"  
  
"Better," replied Harry softly.  
  
"Good," Severus nodded curtly. He looked Harry over again; the boy truly did look better. There was some more color to his cheeks now. "Harry," he began, "there are some things you need to know now that you are a vampire..."  
  
Harry looked expectantly up at his guardian. "Like what?" he asked, now sounding a little more confident.  
  
"Such as what kind of blood you need to drink; what you know of vampires and what is real, that sort of thing," Severus explained, "Harry, what do you know about vampires?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Not much. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't like to mention such freakish things in their home," he said softly, and Severus could feel a shudder run through Harry's small body. He put his arm around the boy and gave him a small squeeze and a reassuring smile.  
  
"It's all right, Harry, you're safe here," he said gently. Then he said, "Well, let's get this straight. You *can* go out in the sun. There are several types of vampires, but what you need to know about our type is that we can walk outside during the day. We are more sensitive to the Sun than humans are, but it doesn't pose any special problems for us. Second thing is that, as I told you earlier, a newly turned vampire drinks his sire's blood until he gets stronger. That's because at that time there are special nutrients in the sire's blood that the new vampire needs. You'll be drinking my blood until I say you can stop. That will probably be a week or two, maybe more because you, Harry, are the youngest vampire in the history of the world."  
  
Harry's eyes grew wide. "Really?" he said in an awed tone.  
  
"Really," Severus confirmed. "You need to know that because of that, things are going to be different with you. No one has never been turned who hasn't been fully grown, yet. That's because vampires age differently from humans. Much, much more slowly. We'll have to see how you turn out, because we simply do not know. That's the other thing I need to tell you. I noticed while you were feeding that your fangs aren't fully grown. I'll need to help you hunt when the time comes because of that. Hopefully they will grow out soon, but we'll work something out if they don't. Do you have any questions about anything, Harry?" Severus asked trying to get a feel for how Harry was dealing with what was happening to him.  
  
Harry began to shake his head, but then he nodded. "Yes, sir. What kind of blood will I normally have to drink?"  
  
"Animal blood, of the sort of animals you would normally eat as a human-- chicken, cow, pig, sometimes rabbits, that sort of thing," Severus replied.  
  
Harry nodded and then he asked a question that Severus had forgotten to address, "What am I supposed to call you, sir?"  
  
"Severus is fine," he answered, "I am your guardian, don't forget."  
  
"I know," said Harry with a small smile.  
  
"Now then," Severus said as he lifted Harry up and put him on the floor, "you need to go to bed, young man. You need to rest in order to regain your strength. Tomorrow, you and I shall see Poppy, and she and I will look you over to see what differences there are between yourself and a full-grown vampire. Judging by what I can already see, I think I have a fairly good idea as to what those differences are, but we do need to know for sure. Tomorrow, you and I shall also have a little talk."  
  
Harry's eyes widened briefly at that, but he quickly realized that Severus meant him no harm, so he nodded then. "All right," he said softly. "Good night, Severus," he said shyly.  
  
Severus smiled again at Harry and replied, "Good night, Harry."  
  
As Harry scampered off to bed, Severus sat down on the couch again and stared into the fire. The fire was always lit, even in summer, as Severus didn't truly enjoy the coldness of the dungeons. But, traditionally, Slytherin territory had always been in the dungeons, so he was stuck here.  
  
As Severus contemplated the flames, his mind went over the events of the past few days. When Albus had originally called him, back at Arabella's home, Severus wasn't sure of exactly Albus wanted. He knew that Albus was very desperate, but that was all. When he saw the still form of the Boy-Who- Lived on Arabella's sofa, he had instantly realized Albus' intent.  
  
Turning Harry had been a scary thing for Severus. He had known what that meant, not only for Harry, but also for himself. The Vampire Council's laws on the matter were quite clear on the subject: a newly turned vampire is always placed into the care of the one who turned him. Bringing a young boy into his life was not what Severus had in mind at this point. That that young boy would also be James Potter's son was an added complication to the matter.  
  
It was no secret that the Marauders and the group of boys that Severus had hung out with did not get along. Severus, a loner by nature, had only stuck around those boys in fear of what the Marauders would do to him should they every catch him alone. For whatever reason, one that Severus had never discovered, Sirius Black and James Potter seemed to have made it their mission in life to single the young Severus Snape out and torment him.  
  
However, that had begun to change in later years after Harry's father had begun to date the woman, girl at the time, who was to become Harry's mother- -Lily Evans. Lily and Severus had always gotten along fairly well for a Slytherin Pureblood and a Gryffindor Muggle-born. Oh, they had their moments, yes, but they also had moments that Severus still treasured to this day. Once Lily and James started dating, Lily had begun to keep tighter control over James' activities--she didn't allow James to torment him any longer. Severus had always been grateful to Lily for saving him in their last year and a half of school. Once Severus graduated though, things began to change.  
  
Severus' father, Salazar Snape, and Lucius Malfoy's father, Augustus Malfoy, had brought their sons before Lord Voldemort. The two patriarchs had known each other in school, and while the Snape family had come down quite a ways in terms of their socioeconomic status, their magic was powerful enough that they still maintained close ties with the Malfoys. It was Augustus who had introduced Salazar to Voldemort. They had become enamored with Voldemort's goals, and not much time had passed before they had pledged themselves, and their sons, to Voldemort's service. Now that the younger two had graduated, it was time for them to enter Voldemort's service.  
  
It was during Severus' time with Voldemort that he had been turned. The first raid that Severus had gone on had gone awry. Severus found himself in a similar position to Harry's--only Severus' wounds had been inflicted by some rather overzealous Aurors. Voldemort--not being one to keep a healer around--had simply called for a vampire to come and take care of Severus. Severus' turning and subsequent care had been taken care of in a rather unpleasant way, and it was now Severus' goal to make Harry's transition as easy as possible.  
  
After Severus' turning, Severus had gone straight to Dumbledore, Lucius supporting him all the way. Together, the two became spies for the Order of the Phoenix--the secret resistance against Voldemort that was out of Ministry control. Some years later, Voldemort feel by the combined efforts of Lily Potter and her son, Harry.  
  
Severus never understood why it was that Harry received all of the credit for felling the Dark Lord when in reality, he had done nothing but get hit by the killing curse! Severus and Albus seemed to be the only two who remembered Lily's part in the Light side's victory. She had given her life for her son; it was her love that allowed little Harry to live that night.  
  
Severus sighed as the memories of the past washed over him. He stood up and walked to the cooling box in his kitchen to get a drink. The water was cool and refreshing and it brought him all the way back to the present. Severus sighed again as he placed the empty glass in the sink to wash later (he preferred to do many of his own chores himself, though the house elves did tend to most of the cleaning of his quarters). Now he had young Harry in his care. How in the world was he going to survive the next several years? 


	5. Poppy and the Council

**Chapter Four: Poppy and the Council**

Severus stood for a long time in the kitchen after he placed the glass in the sink. He was thinking of what to do next with Harry. In the morning, he would have to take Harry to Poppy. Once there, the two of them, Poppy and Severus, would have to test Harry to see which parts of him were still human, or, how human were his still remaining human parts. The next thing that needed to be done was for Harry to see the Vampire Council, they needed to know who Harry was and that he was staying with Severus. After figuring out the details of how to go about the next day, Severus, too, went to bed.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The next morning, after Severus helped Harry feed again, the two of them went to the Infirmary to see Poppy. The walk over was mainly in silence. Harry was still a little in shock towards his new situation, while Severus was simply quiet because he isn't one to speak when no speaking needs to be done.

Once in the Infirmary, Poppy guided Harry to a bed and had him sit down. Then she and Severus took out their wands. Harry instantly looked nervous when he saw that the wands were being pointed at him. But Severus quickly managed to quell Harry's fears and the morning was fairly uneventful.

Poppy and Severus discovered that Harry's aging processes had yet to slow down, on other words, he was still aging as a normal human. They couldn't tell if this would continue, or if it would stop at some point in the future, though. The other thing that they discovered was that, indeed, as Severus had noticed the night before, Harry's fangs were smaller than they should be, however, they also found that they had grown a little. Poppy decided that that wouldn't be an issue for Harry, and that eventually his fangs would reach full size and he would be able to hunt as normal.

In Harry's opinion, the exam ended none too quickly. He jumped off the bed as soon as he could. Severus led him out of the Infirmary with a small smile on his face; Poppy was openly grinning at Harry's behaviour. Then Severus led Harry back down to their quarters. This time with Severus telling Harry about what they would be doing that afternoon.

"Harry," Severus began, and Harry could tell that this topic would be quite serious, "Vampires have their own set of laws. Laws about marriage and bonding, property, feeding, and... the siring of new Vampires--"

Harry interrupted, "Like what you did to me? Is that what you're talking about?"

Severus nodded, "Yes, Harry, like what I did to you. Siring a new Vampire is simply another term for turning." Harry nodded his understanding, so Severus continued, "There is a group who enforces the laws, the group is known as the Vampire Council. They are a group of Vampires who are well versed in our laws, and they carry out the laws. Part of their job is knowing how many Vampires are out there, and who turned the new ones. Every new Vampire has to come before the Council, with their sire, to show themselves. This way we can keep track of our numbers, and also of our family lines."

Again, Harry interrupted. "Family lines?" he echoed.

"Yes," replied Severus, "family lines of the Vampires are very much like those of wizarding families, but of course, those Dursleys would not have told you anything of your culture." Severus stopped to sigh, he had to quell the urge to glare at the thought of the Muggles with whom Harry had spent the last six years with.

"Look, we're here now. Sit down, I'll get us something to drink, and then I'll try to explain it all to you, all right, Harry?" Severus said as the pair approached the portrait of Salazar Slytherin guarding the entrance to Severus' and Harry's chambers.

Harry nodded and replied, "Okay." After they entered their rooms, Harry went to the main living area to sit down and wait for Severus to return. A few moments later, Severus came out of the kitchens with a tea pot and two cups. After the tea was poured, Severus restarted his explanation.

"In Wizarding Society, there are several types of magic wielders. The categories are based on blood and are older than Hogwarts itself. First, there are the Purebloods--magic wielders born to two magic wielders. Then there are the Muggle-born--those who are born to two Muggles, as your mother was. A third category is that of the Half-bloods, magic wielders born to one Muggle and one magic wielder. There are several interim categories, but those come and go as the years pass. In addition to those types of magic-wielders, there are also those who are born to a witch and a wizard, yet they cannot use magic. We call them Squibs. They, however, are rather inconsequential at the moment, and have nothing to do with our current topic," Severus paused to take a sip of his tea before continuing. He could tell that Harry was already bursting with questions, but he knew that this would probably be easier if he could simply give the entire explanation without pausing to answer questions.

Severus went on, "Now then, of the Purebloods, there are a few family lines who remain 'untainted' by Muggle blood. These families are all very old, probably dating back further than even the Founders--"

Harry couldn't help himself, he had to ask the question, so he did, "The Founders? Who were they?" he asked, then he quickly looked down as if he were afraid of being struck for interrupting.

Severus looked mildly annoyed, but the question only served to remind Severus just how little Harry knew of his new world. He resolved to fix that as soon as possible, but for now, they needed to get this conversation out of the way. "The Founders are the four magic-wielders who founded Hogwarts. Two witches and two wizards, but we'll leave them for another day, hmm?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry in a questioning glance before continuing, "At any rate, these families are well-known in the wizarding world, and they tend to make up the backbone of wizarding society, as nearly all purebloods are related in some way or form. Family is important to them, and as such they can trace their family lines all the way back to when they started, for the most part, anyway.

"At any rate, Vampire family lines are like that. We _do_ have families, you know. Here, however, is where it gets more than a little tricky. A newly sired Vampire is counted as the next in the family line of the one who turned him. However, there are cases where the Vampire who did the turning is unknown, as in my case. When that occurs, the wizarding line is moved over and counted as a new family line. I am not the first Snape, but I am the first of the Vampiric Snape line. You, Harry Potter, are the second of that line. As such, you will receive a new name. Henry Alexander Potter-Snape. Since you are the only heir to the Potter line, another old Wizarding family, we cannot drop the Potter name. However, I must add my own family to yours. Do you understand, Harry?" Severus finished his rather complicated explanation and hoped that he had made it simple enough for Harry to understand.

Harry thought it over. Slowly, he nodded his head. "Yes, I think so, Severus," he said Severus' name shyly.

Severus smiled at the young boy. "Excellent!" he praised, "Now, this afternoon we must visit the Vampire Council. You need to be accounted for. They need to know who you are, that I turned you, and that I am, indeed, caring for you."

Harry nodded, "I understand."

Severus smiled again. "Good," he said, "Now, how does lunch sound to you? Then we will go to the Council."

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

That afternoon, Severus guided Harry through the use of the Floo and soon enough they found themselves in a cave in a hidden part of Ireland. Severus helped Harry up after the latter managed to fall through the floo network--despite traveling with Severus. The two vampires were greeted by a hovering sphere.

The sphere looked the two over and said something to Severus that Harry could not understand. He watched as Severus conversed with the sphere for several moments. Then the sphere took off, leaving Harry looking at Severus with an inquisitive expression.

"Greeter," explained Severus briefly, "someone will soon be down to take us to where we need to be."

Just then, a female vampire stepped into the room. She glanced briefly at Harry, and then looked again when she saw how young he was. Her eyes widened briefly with surprise, and she sent a questioning look towards Severus. Severus ignored her look and simply gave her a pointed look. She nodded and began to walk away with Severus not two steps behind her. Harry hurried to follow them.

Harry and Severus ended up deep in the cavern, there they were left by their guide. Severus walked forward, holding Harry's hand to pull him along. Finally, they reached a point where the lamps flared on and before them was a long table with seven seats on it. Behind the table, a door suddenly opened and out filed the enigmatic Vampire Council.

Harry watched with wide eyes as the seven Vampires filed into the room and sat down. After the Vampires were all seated, Severus bowed before them and said, "My lords." Then he shoved Harry lightly to indicate that he should do the same, so Harry repeated his gesture, albeit a little clumsily.

"Severus Snape," greeted the Vampire seated at the centre of the table. Harry couldn't see his face, actually, he couldn't see what any of the Vampire's looked like as they all had their hoods up. "What business do you have before us today?"

Severus pulled Harry in front of him and placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "My lord, I have come to register this young one as the next member of my family line. I turned him a week ago."

"One so young, Severus? That is unheard of," said a Vampire seated on the left end of the table.

Severus bowed his head in a respectful nod. "Yes, my lord," he said, "We had no choice, the boy would have died..."

Despite the fact that he could not see the Vampire's face, Severus was certain the being was frowning at his response. "Severus, we do not interefere lightly..."

"My lord," Severus inclined his head in an acknowledging bow, "the boy is... important... He is Harry Potter."

Silence ruled the room after Severus' grave announcement. Finally, the Vampire nodded. "Ah," he said in a knowing tone, "this does place a different perspective on matters. Very well then. We accept him as your heir. What is to be his name?"

Severus glanced at Harry. Harry looked up at him with a nervous expression, but Severus' expression was reassuring so he nodded slightly. Severus looked back to the Council. "Henry Alexander Potter-Snape," he replied surely.

This way, Severus had decided, Harry would be able to keep some of his name yet be able to hold onto the Snape name as well, because, well, they had to face it: Harry Snape simply didn't fit.

Harry looked up at Severus after the man's pronouncement and gave the man a small smile. Severus squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly. The Vampire Council noticed the actions and glanced amongst themselves knowingly.

"Well, Severus," said a female voice--she hadn't spoken before, "It appears as if you and young Harry have already formed a relationship."

Severus glared at her for noticing, and she chuckled lightly. "Hold, Severus," she said calmly but with a warning in her tone, "I meant nothing by it. In truth, I believe that this will be good for the both of you."

Severus' glare softened and he nodded once, shortly at the Vampire. "My apologies," he murmured.

Then the lead Vampire spoke up again, "Severus, go now, take your child and teach him our ways. We will meet again in ten years to check on his progress."

Severus nodded again and bowed. "My lords," he said, "I thank you." Then he took Harry by the hand and led him out saying, "Come, Harry."


End file.
